Joseph Delaney used to be an English teacher, before becoming the best-selling author of the Spook's series, which has been published in 30 countries and sold over 4.5 million copies worldwide. The first book, The Spook's Apprentice, was adapted into a major motion picture starring Jeff Bridges and Julianne Moore.

Joseph Delaney

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Gene Zion

Margaret Bloy Graham

Harry and the family have gone to the beach but it's too sunny and he's one hot dog! There's nowhere else for him to get some shade than under a pile of seaweed! The only problem is that now everyone thinks he's a sea monster and he can't find his family. 
 
This is the third classic story from the Harry series and is as fresh and funny as when it was first written.

Harry By The Sea

Pat Hutchins

A TITCH storybook by award winning author, Pat Hutchins. Titch is the smallest and the youngest in his family. His brother Pete and his sister Mary have bigger biokes than Titch, kites that fly high-up in the sky and instruments that make much BIGGER noises. But when Titch plants a tiny seed thay all find out that starting off small is just the first stage of GROWING!!!

Titch

Harry is a black and white dog who hates having a bath - so when he sees his owner with the dredded bath, he runs away. But in the end, harry gets so dirty that his owners dont recognise him and so he has to beg for the thing he used to dread so much so they let him back into the houshold.

Harry The Dirty Dog

John Burningham

Once upon a time there were two geese called Mr and Mrs Plumpster. Each Spring they returned to the marshes of their ancestors, and Mrs Plumpster laid her eggs. Soon six fine young Plumpsters hatched: Archie, Freda, Jennifer, Oswald, Timothy and Borka. But Borka was different. Borka had no feathers and could not fly. When winter came the other geese flew off in search of warmer climates, leaving Borka all alone. But her adventure was only just beginning . . .

Borka: The Adventures of a Goose With No Feathers

Shirley Hughes

Molly wished that they had a real garden, big enough to play in. Then one day, her wish came true! Mum and Dad told the children that they had found a house with a garden for them all to live in! Right away everyone began to make plans.

Moving Molly

Anthony Browne

Dad, mum and two brothers spend a day at the zoo, looking at the animals in the cages - or is it the animals that are looking at them?

A classic story celebrating the power of babies... and avocados! 
 
The Hargraves family want their new baby to grow up big and strong. But the puny mite will hardly eat a thing... until Mrs Hargraves finds an avocado in the fruit bowl and the baby gobbles it up. Soon, the baby gets incredible strength, and the strangest things start to happen! 
 
This classic story from the bestselling author and illustrator John Burningham has been delighting families for over 40 years. 
 
“Amusing for adults, impressive for toddlers, good for greengrocers” The Observer 
 
“John Burningham is one of the most outstanding author-illustrators of children’s books today . . .” Twentieth-Century Children’s Writers 
 
John Burningham is the much-loved creator of Mr Gumpy's Outing and Would You Rather.

Avocado Baby

Babette Cole

Girls and boys are always curious and sometimes even alarmed by the behaviour of their bodies as they grow up. Puberty being a particularly unsettling time, Babette Cole has made this the subject of the fifth title in her bestselling series of 'family dilemmas'. Who else but Babette would have the temerity to tackle this subject in a picture book and the genius to carry it off! In Hair in Funny Places her artwork is without exaggeration some of the best she has ever done: it is brilliant. The text takes the form of a conversation between a small girl and her teddy bear, and is ingenious and funny. It is the behaviour of Mr and Mrs Hormone (wonderfully depicted) which is responsible for and plays havoc with the physical and emotional states of  girls and boys throughout puberty. This book is bound to be controversial but Babette has never taken the conventional path and her readers love her for her outrageous approach to little mentioned topics.

Hair In Funny Places

Every day, John Patrick sets off along the road to school, and although he hurries, strange and improbable happenings repeatedly make him late. To make things worse, his teacher never believes his story.

John Patrick Norman McHennessy

The Boy Who Was Always Late

Alfie loves being outside and in this gorgeous collection of stories and poems he plays in the garden, camps in the countryside, shares a picnic on the beach, splashes in the paddling pool and lots more! Full of snapshots of family life, this is a book to treasure.

The Big Alfie Out of Doors Storybook

Mairi Hedderwick

Welcome to the Island of Struay, home of one of the best-loved characters in children's books and as seen on TV - Katie Morag McColl! 
 
This lavish book is packed with brand-new stories and poems featuring favourite characters from Katie Morag's island home. Whether she's trying to keep the secret of Baking Day from her little brother Liam, befriending a baby seal with the Holiday Children, or even smoothing out troubles between her two very different grannies, Katie Morag is always at the heart of this island and its special way of life.

The Big Katie Morag Storybook

Benedict Blathwayt

Another charming tale in The Little Red Train series which will appeal to all little boys and girls obsessed with engines, trains and things that go! 
 
There's a big surprise around every bend in the railway track to Birchcombe village - but Duffy Driver, The Little Red Train and all their friends are ready to come to the rescue EVERY time!

The Little Red Train: To The Rescue

Georgie has got a new bed, but it's not like other beds. For each night, Georgie says the magic word and it whisks him away on a fantastic adventure. He loves his bed, but one day he and his family go on holiday, and when they come back, Granny has a big surprise for Georgie . . .

The Magic Bed

Josephine Poole

Angela Barrett

How did an ordinary little girl come to live such an extraordinary life? This picture book biography tells the incredible story of Anne Frank for a younger audience. 
 
Anne Frank's diary telling the story of her years in hiding from the Nazis has affected millions of people. But what was she like as a small girl, at home with her family and friends; at play and at school? In the first half of the book we meet Anne as a small child growing up with her family in Germany. Then we follow her flight to Holland to escape the Nazis; the German invasion and the gradual isolation, then outright persecution, of the Jewish population which forces the family into hiding; the years in the Secret Annex; and her last heart-breaking journey. 
 
Told with haunting, meticulously researched illustrations, this is the ideal introduction to Anne Frank's story.

Anne Frank

Quentin Blake

A bouncing, read-aloud rhyme about a very special friend, from the nation's favourite llustrator, Quentin Blake! 
 
Meet Fantastic Daisy Artichoke. She's got three fat cats we like to stroke and a pond in which she likes to soak. . . . She isn't quite like other folk! 
 
"Blake is beyond brilliant . . . I've never met a child who doesn't love Quentin Blake" - Daily Telegraph 
 
Quentin Blake is one of Britain's best-loved and most successful author-illustrators, and was made the first Children's Laureate in 1999. He has won the Whitbread Award, the Hans Christian Andersen Award for Illustration, and the Kate Greenaway Medal. among others.

Fantastic Daisy Artichoke

Albert and his mum and dad go walking one day in the mountains. Unfortunately, Albert slips and disappears over the edge of a cliff; his parents are very upset. Albert is lucky though - the Cloud Children see his fall and speak the magic words ("They either said, Fumble gralley goggle ho hee", or "Teetum waggle bari se nee", or was it "Gargle giggle fiddle num dee?") that make Albert light enough to float among the clouds, with them. Albert sleeps that night drifting in the sky. The next day, Albert and the Cloud Children have lots of fun: jumping off tall clouds, making as much noise as they can in the thunderstorm, swimming in the rain, painting pictures next to the rainbow and walking on the filmy traces left by passing aircraft. When Albert wants to go home again, the Queen arranges for his cloud to drift near his home, and for him to gently float down - but not before they all have feasted with the Man in the Moon!

Cloudland

Everyone thinks Harry looks lovely in his new knitted jacket covered in roses - except Harry! So Harry is on a mission to rid his back of those ridiculous roses...!

No Roses For Harry

Kes Gray

Nick Sharratt

Garry Parsons

When three actual burglaries happen in Daisy's town, Daisy is beside herself with excitement. Two houses and the fish and chip shop have been broken into (and lots of cods and haddocks have been stolen). Anyone could be next! 
 
Daisy wants to help. Together with Gabby and Dylan, she forms her own detective agency. Armed with a notebook, a magnifying glass, a camera and a box of icing sugar, she sets out on the burglars' trail. 
 
Trouble is, detective work is hard when you're not allowed to go further than the end of the road . . .

Daisy and the Trouble with Burglars

Alfie's Nursery School is right next door to the Big School. Alfie wishes that he could be friends with the most popular big boy, Ian Barger, but Ian never takes any notice of the little kids. 
 
One morning, Mum takes Alfie to a Plant Pot Sale. Alfie hasn't been there long when he spots Ian Barger screaming and yelling, "I want my mummy!". Ian grabs Alfie's hand and holds onto him very tightly until his mum returns. Alfie realizes that big boys don't always act so big after all!

Alfie and the Big Boys

Click-clack, clicketty-clack, whoo . . . eee! Disaster! The fast rain to Pebblecombe has broken down. Everyone on the train wants to get to the fair and enjoy a great day out but now they're all stuck on the tracks. It is up to the Little Red Train and Duffy Driver to save the day. Do the little Red Train speeds up and is determined to get her passengers to the fair on time. As Duffy remarks at the end of the journey, 'You're the Little Red Express now!' 
 
Follow the train on its speedy journey and marvel at the wealth of detail in every picture.

Little Red Train: Faster, Faster

Roberto Innocenti

Ian McEwan

Rose Blanche was the name of a group of young German citizens who, at their peril, protested against the war. Like them, Rose observes all the changes going on around her which others choose to ignore. She watches as the streets of her small German town fill with soldiers. One day she sees a little boy escaping from the back of a truck, only to be captured by the mayor and shoved back into it. Rose follows the truck to a desolate place out of town, where she discovers many other children, staring hungrily from behind an electric barbed wire fence.  She starts bringing the children food, instinctively sensing the need for secrecy, even with her mother. Until the tide of the war turns and soldiers in different uniforms stream in from the East, and Rose and the imprisoned children disappear for ever . . .

Rose Blanche

Ars Armitage arrives on the beach with her surfboard and her faithful dog Breakspear, and paddles out to sea to wait for the Big Wave. But, of course, Mrs Armitage can't be satisfied with just an ordinary surfboard and she is soon adding a hilarious variety of gadgets and contraptions. And when the Big Wave finally arrives, Mrs Armitage certainly surfs with style!

Mrs Armitage And The Big Wave

Kaye Umansky

Margaret Chamberlain

A rhyming picture book in which a group of children prepare for a party. The bright, action-packed illustrations feature all kinds of delicious food. 
 
'While a group of children prepares for a party, Jim has just one job. He must pass the jam. As the pages fill with piles and piles of food, the jam is still missing. Gradually, it becomes apparent that Jim will not be able to pass the jam - some has been eaten, some has been spilled and quite a lot is covering the walls, floor and Jim... Pre-school children and infants will find much to amuse them.' - JUNIOR BOOKSHELF 
 
'Marvellously memorable... very funny' - SCHOOL LIBRARIAN 
 
'Great fun to read aloud' - BABY MAGAZINE

Pass The Jam, Jim

A tale of imagination and friendship, from the nation's favourite illustrator, Quentin Blake! 
 
When two bold adventurers climb over the wall to explore the overgrown garden next door, the discover a ship made of bushes, with tall, thin trees for masts. They also meet marvellous Mrs Tredegar, who turns them into a fully trained crew, and with their imaginations at the ready, they embark on a series of glorious voyages. 
 
"Blake is beyond brilliant . . . I've never met a child who doesn't love Quentin Blake" - Daily Telegraph 
 
Quentin Blake is one of Britain's best-loved and most successful author-illustrators, and was made the first Children's Laureate in 1999. He has won the Whitbread Award, the Hans Christian Andersen Award for Illustration, and the Kate Greenaway Medal. among others.

The Green Ship

John Burningham brings us this poetic tale about a special friendship between a lonely girl and her secret friend, Aldo. With Aldo around, sunshine and laughter fill the little girl's life and she forgets her everyday fears.

Aldo

When the children bring Courtney home he's just a loveable scruffy old dog. But the-mongrel-that-nobody-wants has the most amazing talents. He can cook! He can juggle! He can even play the violin! Then one day Courtney the wonder dog packs up his trunk and leaves home - but the children find out his helping paw is not far away. . .

Courtney

Maurice Sendak

A daring imagination has woven a simple rhyme into a brilliantly original tale about Jennie, the Sealyham terrier, who seeks Experience and becomes the star of the World Mother Goose Theatre.

Higglety Pigglety Pop!

or There Must Be More to Life

Can Snuff's great idea save the day? A marvellous tale of creativity and quick-wittedness from the nation's favourite illustrator, Quentin Blake. 
 
Snuff dreams of being a brave and noble knight. But no matter how hard Sir Thomas Magpie tries to teach him, Snuff just can't seem to get anything right! The one day the Bootmaker gets raided by thieves, and Snuff might just have a clever idea to save the day - in his own unique and creative way! 
 
"Blake is beyond brilliant . . . I've never met a child who doesn't love Quentin Blake" - Daily Telegraph 
 
Quentin Blake is one of Britain's best-loved and most successful author-illustrators, and was made the first Children's Laureate in 1999. He has won the Whitbread Award, the Hans Christian Andersen Award for Illustration, and the Kate Greenaway Medal. among others.

Snuff

Part of the BBC’s Quentin Blake’s Box of Treasures

This special edition includes stories from real-life evacuees, uncovered from the Imperial War Museums. 
 
When Lenny’s father goes to fight in the Second World War he gives his son a brass badge with two animals engraved on it: a lion for bravery and a unicorn for courage. 
 
Then, Lenny himself must go away, evacuated from his home and family to escape the bombing. Staying in a strange new place, Lenny gathers all his lion bravery, all his unicorn courage, and discovers that magic can happen, even in the most desperate of times.

The Lion And The Unicorn

When Duffy the driver is told to keep on going until the lights change, that's exactly what he does - so he doesn't even notice that he's driven Little Red Train right under the channel to France! 
 
This is a gloriously detailed book that will be a joy to return to again and again. 
 
With a minimal text and bright, busy pages, Ben Blathwayt's picture books have enormous appeal for young children.

The Little Red Train: Green Light

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